Safety cranking device.



L.*W. WOOLWINE.

SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.|3.1914.

1,168,694, I Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

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Wilmeoowo NT o NEST, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F HAWKS NEST, WEST VIRGINIA.

LUDY W. WOOLWINE, 0F HAWKS DANIEL BOONE,

OF ONE-HALF 'IO SAFETY CRANKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed October 13, 1914. Serial No. 866,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Limit NV. VVOOLVVINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hawks Nest, in the county of Fayette and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety (Trunking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety cranking devices for internal combustion engines.

The primary object of my invention re sides in the provision of a novel cranking device in which the crank arm is rotatably mounted on the shaft and the handle is rotatably mounted on the arn'uthe arm having novel means associated therewith for holding the handle in a rigid position with re- A still further object of my invention re-v sides in the provision of a novel means for rotatably and ren'iovably mounting the cranking arm on the shaft, the latter being positioned about a ratchet rigidly carried by the shaft which has associated therewith the disconnecting means for establishing a rigid connection of the arm and handle to the shaft.

A still further object of my invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described that is simple in construction. ellicient in operation and one that can be manufactured and placed on the market at a minimum cost.

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointodout in the claims forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings :-F igure 1 represents a side elevational view of my invention; Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectional view of my invention taken on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary sectional view of the outer end of the crank arm showing especially the means for connecting the handle to the arm and the disconnecting means associated therewith; Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary sectional view of the inner end of the crank and arm showing the novel means for connecting the same to the crank shaft.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, I provide a. crank shaft 1, the latter being suitably and rotatably mounted in a position of alinement with an engine shaft, not shown, and has a clutch head 2 formed on one end thereof for engagement with a similarly formed clutch head on the engine shaft, not shown, and which shaft 1 has its opposite end reduced, the inner part of the reduced portion adjacent the shoulder being squared as at 3 and the extreme terminal of the reduced portion being screw threaded as at 4 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Rotatahly and removably mounted on the outer end of the shaft 1 is my improved cranking device including essentially an arm portion 5 and a handle portion 6. The arm 5 in this instance is enlarged and bifurcated at one end thereof to form spaced parallel extensions 7, the latter being provided with alining openings for engagement with the shaft 1, the squared portion of the latter being also engaged by a ratchet wheel 8 which is arranged between the extensions and which ratchet wheel is prevented from movement on the shaft by means of a suitable jam nut l), the latter being positioned within the opening in one of the. extensions and screw threaded about the reduced end l of the shaft, the inner edge of which nut bears against the wheel 8 and prevents movement thereof. The opposite end of the arm 5 is cut away on its surface and is provided with an opening adjacent the extreme upper edge thereof through which is rotatably mounted the rod 10, the latter having a handle 6 rigidly connected thereto, the rod 10 being squared adjacent its inner end as at 11 to receive the ratchet wheel 12, the wheel being arranged in close relation with the surface of the arm 6 and held on the shaft by threaded on the "extreme inner terminal of the shaft.

For the purpose of preventing the rota.-

tion of the handle and for establishing a rigid connection between the handle 6 and the shaft 1, I'have pivotally mounted a pawl 14, on the arm 5, the inner end of which pawl is held in engagement with the ratchet by meansof a suitable leaf spring 15, the ratchet being also engaged at a. point substantially diametrically opposite the point of engagement of the pawl 14 by a trip lever 16, the latter being plvotally mounted at a point substantially intermediate its ends by a suitable fastening device preferably apin, 17, the latter extending through an opening 18 provided .in the arm, and which lever has its inner end beveled as at 19 and arranged in engagement with one of'the teeth of the ratchet wheel 12. The trip lever 16 is held in yielding engagement with a suitable abutment 20 formed integral with the arm, the lever engaging the of a suitable elastic element, preferably a coil spring 21, the upper end of the lever being also engaged on its opposite side by means of a suitable elasticelement, preferably a coil spring 22 for facilitating the yielding engagement of the lever 16 with the abutment 20. Extending centrally and longitudinally through the arm is a bore 23 in which is slidably mounted a rod 24:, the lower end of which rod is beveled as at 25and arranged in engagement .with the teeth on the ratchet--wheel 8. The upper end of the rod 24 is normally arranged in engagement with the lower end of the trip lever 16 and establishes a rigid connection' between the handle 6 and the shaft 1 when it is desired to crank the engine.

In order to facilitate the disengagement of the beveled portion 25 of the rod from the teeth of the ratchet wheel 8 when the trip lever 16 has been removed from engagement with the upper end thereof by back-firing of the shaft, I have enlarged the bore adjacent the-upper end thereof and disposed about the rod in the enlarged portion of the bore a suitable elastic element preferably a coil compression spring 26, the

respective ends of which bear against the shoulder formed by enlarging the bore and a pin 27 ,which extends transversely through the rod adjacent the upper end thereof. In order to replace the rod 24: in engagement with the trip lever 16, I have pivotally mounted a lever 28 within a recess 29 formed in the handle, the inner end of which lever being pivotally connected by means of a" suitable fastening element 30 to a point ad- Jacent the extreme upper terminal of the rod 2 1. It can be seen by pressing upwardly on the lever, the rod 24 is forced downwardly and the springs 21 and 22 will normally place the trip lever 16in a position in substantial alinement above the rod -whereupon the same is released and will engage the. lower end of the lever. A casing 31 formed of substantial similar material as the arm 5 is removably secured by means of suitable fastening devices about the cut away portion on the upper end of the arm, the casing inclosing and protecting the mechanism about this point.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming that the clutch head 2 on the crank shaft 1 has been placedin engagement with the clutch head of an engine shaft, not shown, the handle 6 is cranked by one hand of the user and rotated, a r0- tary movement also being imparted tothe crank. shaft 1 due to the substantial rigid connection between the handle and the crank shaft. Should the engine back-fire during the rotation of the crank, the slight jar which is first imparted to the handle 6 will slightly rotate the handle 6 in a reversed direction causing the trip lever 16 to be removed from engagement with the upper end of the rod 24, whereupon the coil compression spring 26 bearing against the pin 27 will lift the beveled end 25 of the rod out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 8 and allow the shaft 1 to rotate in a reversed direction without injuring the hand of the operator. In order to replace the rod all that is necessary is to engage the handle lever 28 and pull the same-upwardly causing the pin 27 to compress the coil spring and allow the beveled end to engage the teeth of the ratchet, during which operation the coil springs 21 and 22 will place the trip lever 16 in engagement with the abutment 20 and in a. position of alinement above the upper end of the rod 23 whereupon the handle 28 is released and the upper end of the rod allowed to engage the lower end of the lever as clearly shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. It is thought to be obvious that due to the pawl 14 and the spring 15 rotary movement of the handle 6 is prevented when the engine is being cranked in the usual manner.

Although I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I desire to be understood that I am not limited to the exact details shown, however, great stress is laid upon the-crank arm and the means for mounting the handle and arm, the latter having a disconnecting means, including the rod 24 and lever 16 for automatcally disconnecting the handle and arm when the device that is simple in construction, containing but a few simple parts that can be cheaply manufactured and assembled and 4 when assembled can be placed upon the market and sold at a minimum cost.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various minor changes in detail of construction, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims and without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I-claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a safety cranking device for internal combustion engines, the combination with a shaft, of a crank arm rotatably mounted thereon, gripping means rigidly mounted on the shaft, a. handle rotatably mounted on the arm, gripping means rigidly mounted on the handle, slidably mounted engaging means associated with said arm and in removable engagement with the gripping means on the shaft, and tripping means pivotally mounted on the arm and in engagement with the gripping means on the handle and the slidable engaging means actuatable by the reverse movement of the handle due to back-firing of the engine to release the slidable engaging means from the gripping means on the shaft.

In a safety crank device for internal combustion engines, the combination with a shaft, of a crank arm rotatably mounted thereon, a handle rotatably mounted on the arm, gripping means carried by the shaft and the handle, slidably mounted means associated with the arm for removable engagement with the gripping means on the shaft, tripping means pivotally mounted on the arm for removably holding the said engaging means in position and for engage ment with the gripping means on the handle, and actuatable upon back-firing of the engine to release the slidable engaging means from the gripping means on the shaft, means associated with the arm and in connection with the slidably mounted engaging means for resetting the engaging means, and means for resetting the tripping means after the rod has been reset. 3. In a safety cranking device for internal combustion engines, the combination with a shaft, of a crank arm rotatably mounted thereon, a ratchet wheel rigidly mounted on said shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on the arm, a ratchet wheel rigidly carried by said handle, a rod slidably mounted on said arm and in removable engagement with the ratchet wheel on' the shaft, a trip lever pivotally mounted on the arm and in en gagement with the ratchet wheel on the handle and the rod and actuatable by the reverse movement of the handle due to backfiring of the engine to release said rod from the ratchet wheel on the shaft, a hand lever pivoted on the arm and pivotally connected to the rod for returning the rod into engagement with the ratchet wheel on the shaft, and resilient means associated with the arm and the trip lever for returning the trip lever into engagement with the ratchet wheel on the handle and the rod when the rod has been reset.

4:. In a safety device for internal combustion engines, the combination. with a shaft, of a crank arm rotatably mounted thereon, a. ratchet wheel rigidly mounted on the shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on the arm, a ratchet wheel carried by the handle, means for preventing movement "of said ratchet wheel in one direction, a rod slidably mounted in said arm and in removable engagement with the ratchet wheel on the shaft, a triplever pi :otally mounted on said arm and in removable engagement with the ratchet wheel on the handle and the upper end of the rod, said trip lever being actuated by reverse movement of the handle due to back-firing of the engine, resilient means for facilitating the disengagement of the rod from the ratchet wheel on the shaft when the trip has been actuated, and means for resetting said rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUDY'W. WOOLWINE.

Witnesses:

DANIEL Booms, J. W. BUCHANAN. 

